I’m probably Politi’s age. I’ve been watching Rutgers for over 30 years now. I think Lanni’s take is the right one. As Rutgers fans, we can appreciate the effort. Imagine how bad Ohio State fans feel right now.
Glad to see RU play a complete game in all phases...hope they do it again in whatever bowl game. we get. I'm a glass half full guy...but will always remember 2024 for the infamous time out which knocked RU out of Citrus Bowl.
True, but we would have got our a$$e$ handed to us by whoever the SEC Citrus opponent would be. As miserable as that loss was, I’d rather take 8-5 with the bowl win (likely now the Rate Bowl against Texas Tech) then 8-5 with a bowl loss (likely South Carolina).
@@THTech000 Perhaps...but my biological clock is ticking...would be glad to see RU in any decent bowl at this point. Question.....does RU play the same BIG teams in 2026 as we did this year ?
@@MichaelDozier-j1b I hear you on that. I think the rate bowl against a Texas Tech or Baylor team qualifies as decent. Fonseca, Lanni, and Politi didn't really want to go there and that skews opinions I think. The 2026 schedule ... this is what I found: 9/05 - UMass 9/12 - at Boston College 9/19 - Howard B1G HOME GAMES: Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, USC B1G AWAY GAMES: Maryland, Northwestern, Penn State, Wisconsin
@@THTech000 Thanks for the info. I don't think Phoenix would be bad place...maybe fewer RU fans make the trip ? I like football played outside and not in a dome....unless its snowing like the it did during Bills game (LOL). 2026 doesn't look too bad...hopefully Serace lives up to the hype....and the defense returns to form.
The offense wasn't ready to carry the team through those 4 games. Transfer qb finding footing. Offense will be good next year and Schiano rebuilds defense quickly. Really good class coming in. Next year is going to be better than people think. The defense wasn't there from start.
I love your optimism. But I just peeked at our 2025 schedule. Yikes. I’m signing for 6-6 right now and a bowl win against a MAC opponent with that schedule.
Steve's impression of Brian just made my week 😆!!! Supporting cast is absolutely a concern. Derkack is a defensive boost but a liability on offense for the minutes he gets. Jeremiah and Acuff are serviceable scorers and Hayes should only be shooting kickouts. JMike looksl like he took a step back and Martini looked lost out there this week. As for football, they had opportunities but it IS a step in the right direction despite Chicken LIttle Fonseca! They found a passing game as the season progressed. Better late than never.
I turned the game off the moment after Illinois scored and didn’t come back until the MSU game. I watched zero podcasts and focused only on self improvement for the week. I am trying to erase that Illinois game from memory but its going to be super hard. A win in the rate bowl will help further erase it from memory. But had we won, we still would have gotten crushed in the Citrus Bowl most likely. Take the postive - we are much more likely to win in the Rate Bowl now against slightly lesser opponent. I’ll take it. In fact that was my take the moment after Illinois scored.
As a Rutgers Grad and fans since Schiano 1.0. I think that yes there are positives to take away from the season. The team did bounce back twice (though the second was self-inflicted). Under more scrutiny Rutgers did not achieve the season many of us were expecting with all the talent returning for this special season. Overall yes the program did achieve something it hasn't by getting that 7th win, but they did under-achieve when it comes to the compensation and the opportunity the team had. The team did at least establish themselves as not the bottom of the b1g, but the a lower b1g team with the potential of getting into the middle of the conference.
Check out the B1G final standings. Unless I'm mistaken, RU finished 9th out of 18 teams. That's EXACTLY in the middle. We made progress this year. Not as much as we hoped, but progress is progress.
Those 3 losses were brutal. We should've won them all. Pike has to work on the end of game coaching and game planning. Stars 🌟 need to shine, and the shooters need to shoot. Passing all over the place isn't going to do it. Go RU.
I disagree with much of what Brian had to say on this podcast regarding football. Progress isn’t always linear and players coming back matter only when they are top level B1G players. Basketball analysis was better when he talked X’s and O’s although I agree more with Politi that it’s too early to judge. If last week was a ceiling we could be in trouble but if it’s a building block it could be a great year. Brian needs to pony up for a new microphone. He sounds like he is in the back row or in a closet. I need to constantly adjust the volume when he is speaking and lower it when he’s done.
When it comes to three point shooting brian gets it; you can't beat bama through only twos and foul calls. At the end of the day 3 is more than 2 or 1.
no, in the big 10 alone, oregon, ohio state, penn state, and indiana all have significantly better bids. add in the auto bids, notre dame, and sec teams and rutgers gets squeezed out
What good would a 49-0 blowout loss to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl do Rutgers Football? All the RU-hating national FB pundits would immediately chime in with "same old Rutgers." Look...we won 7 with a chance for 8 wins. We're no longer the B1G's punch. I call that progress.
I pretty much just said the same thing in response to two others on this thread. I 100 percent agree with you. That botched timeout call against Illinois will wind up delivering us a win in the Rate Bowl against Texas Tech. Hopefully we play them and not Baylor who has won their last six games in a row. This is Rutgers. I’ll take the wins where we can get them because close one score games against the traditonal powers typically do not go our way, i.e. the Illinois game.
This entire season was based on bringing back the whole team. What I've seen with trends in college football is that the entire narrative around returning production should be put to rest. Teams with high numbers of portal transfers dominated college football. Continuity with teams and talent doesn't apply like everyone thought it would. ie. Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech and the list goes on. Can you play high-quality football in the system that the team operates in? Is the individual player really good at their position relative to players in the portal and players in their conference? Rutgers will never be a deep team and injuries will always take place. Talent will win whether a team is injured or not. The team needs talent. Starting freshmen did receivers and safeties? Good on them but let's be real here. They really overachieved with all of the injuries they faced and not having talented backups.
When Fonseca is right all day, Politi and Lanni are way off. Politi: Hoops problem isn't "gelling." They're fundamentally bad with rebounding, defending the perimeter and paint, and three point shooting.
I’m probably Politi’s age. I’ve been watching Rutgers for over 30 years now. I think Lanni’s take is the right one.
As Rutgers fans, we can appreciate the effort. Imagine how bad Ohio State fans feel right now.
I probably still have splinters from watching Rutgers vs Colgate in the early 70's.
Glad to see RU play a complete game in all phases...hope they do it again in whatever bowl game. we get.
I'm a glass half full guy...but will always remember 2024 for the infamous time out which knocked RU out of Citrus Bowl.
True, but we would have got our a$$e$ handed to us by whoever the SEC Citrus opponent would be. As miserable as that loss was, I’d rather take 8-5 with the bowl win (likely now the Rate Bowl against Texas Tech) then 8-5 with a bowl loss (likely South Carolina).
@@THTech000 Perhaps...but my biological clock is ticking...would be glad to see RU in any decent bowl at this point.
Question.....does RU play the same BIG teams in 2026 as we did this year ?
@@MichaelDozier-j1b I hear you on that. I think the rate bowl against a Texas Tech or Baylor team qualifies as decent. Fonseca, Lanni, and Politi didn't really want to go there and that skews opinions I think.
The 2026 schedule ... this is what I found:
9/05 - UMass
9/12 - at Boston College
9/19 - Howard
B1G HOME GAMES: Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, USC
B1G AWAY GAMES: Maryland, Northwestern, Penn State, Wisconsin
@@THTech000 Thanks for the info. I don't think Phoenix would be bad place...maybe fewer RU fans make the trip ?
I like football played outside and not in a dome....unless its snowing like the it did during Bills game (LOL).
2026 doesn't look too bad...hopefully Serace lives up to the hype....and the defense returns to form.
The offense wasn't ready to carry the team through those 4 games. Transfer qb finding footing. Offense will be good next year and Schiano rebuilds defense quickly. Really good class coming in. Next year is going to be better than people think. The defense wasn't there from start.
I love your optimism. But I just peeked at our 2025 schedule. Yikes. I’m signing for 6-6 right now and a bowl win against a MAC opponent with that schedule.
Is Fonseca ever positive? Brutal
Fonseca is just like me. I like it.
Fonseca, you are exactly correct. Couldn't have said it any better.
Brian actually gets it right. We had a lot of injuries, but so did USC, MSU, Wisconsin, etc..
Steve's impression of Brian just made my week 😆!!! Supporting cast is absolutely a concern. Derkack is a defensive boost but a liability on offense for the minutes he gets. Jeremiah and Acuff are serviceable scorers and Hayes should only be shooting kickouts. JMike looksl like he took a step back and Martini looked lost out there this week. As for football, they had opportunities but it IS a step in the right direction despite Chicken LIttle Fonseca! They found a passing game as the season progressed. Better late than never.
If it wasn’t for 1 sec where we called an ill advised icing of the kicker we are 8-4 and we would be talking about a great year.
I turned the game off the moment after Illinois scored and didn’t come back until the MSU game. I watched zero podcasts and focused only on self improvement for the week. I am trying to erase that Illinois game from memory but its going to be super hard. A win in the rate bowl will help further erase it from memory. But had we won, we still would have gotten crushed in the Citrus Bowl most likely. Take the postive - we are much more likely to win in the Rate Bowl now against slightly lesser opponent. I’ll take it. In fact that was my take the moment after Illinois scored.
As a Rutgers Grad and fans since Schiano 1.0. I think that yes there are positives to take away from the season. The team did bounce back twice (though the second was self-inflicted). Under more scrutiny Rutgers did not achieve the season many of us were expecting with all the talent returning for this special season. Overall yes the program did achieve something it hasn't by getting that 7th win, but they did under-achieve when it comes to the compensation and the opportunity the team had. The team did at least establish themselves as not the bottom of the b1g, but the a lower b1g team with the potential of getting into the middle of the conference.
Check out the B1G final standings. Unless I'm mistaken, RU finished 9th out of 18 teams. That's EXACTLY in the middle. We made progress this year. Not as much as we hoped, but progress is progress.
9 wins was there with the injuries. Minus the injuries I honestly believe we would've had a season like Indiana did.
100 percent
Fonseca with a Henry David Thoreau quiet desperation reference!
@Fonseca Alabama was playing @ Purdue when they lost to them. That match up was at Jersey Mikes and Rutgers wins too.
Fonseca is 🎯
I skipped over Eeyore after his first 100% negative rant. As Politi simply said, "this is Rutgers". Dare I mention the name, Chris Ash.
Those 3 losses were brutal. We should've won them all. Pike has to work on the end of game coaching and game planning. Stars 🌟 need to shine, and the shooters need to shoot. Passing all over the place isn't going to do it. Go RU.
I disagree with much of what Brian had to say on this podcast regarding football. Progress isn’t always linear and players coming back matter only when they are top level B1G players. Basketball analysis was better when he talked X’s and O’s although I agree more with Politi that it’s too early to judge. If last week was a ceiling we could be in trouble but if it’s a building block it could be a great year.
Brian needs to pony up for a new microphone. He sounds like he is in the back row or in a closet. I need to constantly adjust the volume when he is speaking and lower it when he’s done.
@Fonseca, how many wins do we get next year?
I'm not Fonseca, but I peeked at next year and it looks real rough. I would be ecstatic with 6 wins.
When it comes to three point shooting brian gets it; you can't beat bama through only twos and foul calls. At the end of the day 3 is more than 2 or 1.
Politi sets a low bar. Indiana destroys his "keeping it in perspective " argument.
Would a non injury laden 10-2 team that lost to USC and Wisconsin make the playoffs?
no, in the big 10 alone, oregon, ohio state, penn state, and indiana all have significantly better bids. add in the auto bids, notre dame, and sec teams and rutgers gets squeezed out
@@bobboberson8297Agreed
What good would a 49-0 blowout loss to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl do Rutgers Football? All the RU-hating national FB pundits would immediately chime in with "same old Rutgers." Look...we won 7 with a chance for 8 wins. We're no longer the B1G's punch. I call that progress.
I pretty much just said the same thing in response to two others on this thread. I 100 percent agree with you. That botched timeout call against Illinois will wind up delivering us a win in the Rate Bowl against Texas Tech. Hopefully we play them and not Baylor who has won their last six games in a row. This is Rutgers. I’ll take the wins where we can get them because close one score games against the traditonal powers typically do not go our way, i.e. the Illinois game.
No. Our schedule is only going to get harder
Injuries had nothing to do with the idiot special teams coaching vs. Nebraska and Illinois!
Underachieved
This entire season was based on bringing back the whole team. What I've seen with trends in college football is that the entire narrative around returning production should be put to rest. Teams with high numbers of portal transfers dominated college football.
Continuity with teams and talent doesn't apply like everyone thought it would. ie. Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech and the list goes on.
Can you play high-quality football in the system that the team operates in? Is the individual player really good at their position relative to players in the portal and players in their conference?
Rutgers will never be a deep team and injuries will always take place. Talent will win whether a team is injured or not. The team needs talent. Starting freshmen did receivers and safeties? Good on them but let's be real here. They really overachieved with all of the injuries they faced and not having talented backups.
Politi sets a low bar. Indiana destroys his "keeping it in perspective " argument.
When Fonseca is right all day, Politi and Lanni are way off. Politi: Hoops problem isn't "gelling." They're fundamentally bad with rebounding, defending the perimeter and paint, and three point shooting.